Straight talk or Actual two year agreement? I can decide what to go with.
I went from Sprint to Straight Talk AT&T with a Galaxy S III (i9300). It depends;
1. Talk is Unlimited on Straight Talk
2. Text is Unlimited
3. Data is "Unlimited". There is no predetermined amount, but 2-3GB would be considered a safe amount. Anything over is grounds for getting your account terminated and requiring a new SIM and phone number.
Coverage is the same as AT&T (or T-Mobile if you pick a T-Mobile SIM) and you get the same HSPA+ speeds as AT&T (or T-Mobile with a T-Mobile SIM). The SIMs will worked in locked phones from the same carrier as the SIM (T-Mobile to T-Mobile SIM, AT&T to AT&T SIM). Both will work in unlocked phones. 99% of international phones are AT&T-compatible for 3G and 4G. Generally you get better coverage with AT&T, and speeds for me are great in here NYC, which is notoriously congested. I can go up to 5 Mbps in good areas, but more like 1.5-2 Mbps on average, which is great.
If you constantly stream and use a crapload of data, it's not for you. But if you use your data use is average or below average, you'll be fine. I've heard of people going up to 5GB of data and still being ok, but just know you're putting your account in danger if you do that. A good way to not lose your number if your data use is a little high (as in the one you have right now) is to port it to Google Voice for $20, and then use the Voice app to send and receive texts from your current number. You can also make your phone make and receive calls to and from that number as well. So if they cancel your account for whatever reason, you make another one and change the forwarding number in the Google Voice settings. That's it.
You really can't beat $45 a month. Unless you're not a big talker, then I would recommend T-Mobile's $30 plan that includes 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 5GB of data @ 4G speeds (unlimited altogether, but you get throttled after). But then you'll be sacrificing coverage vs. AT&T's coverage.
Product F(RED) said:
I went from Sprint to Straight Talk AT&T with a Galaxy S III (i9300). It depends;
1. Talk is Unlimited on Straight Talk
2. Text is Unlimited
3. Data is "Unlimited". There is no predetermined amount, but 2-3GB would be considered a safe amount. Anything over is grounds for getting your account terminated and requiring a new SIM and phone number.
Coverage is the same as AT&T (or T-Mobile if you pick a T-Mobile SIM) and you get the same HSPA+ speeds as AT&T (or T-Mobile with a T-Mobile SIM). The SIMs will worked in locked phones from the same carrier as the SIM (T-Mobile to T-Mobile SIM, AT&T to AT&T SIM). Both will work in unlocked phones. 99% of international phones are AT&T-compatible for 3G and 4G. Generally you get better coverage with AT&T, and speeds for me are great in here NYC, which is notoriously congested. I can go up to 5 Mbps in good areas, but more like 1.5-2 Mbps on average, which is great.
If you constantly stream and use a crapload of data, it's not for you. But if you use your data use is average or below average, you'll be fine. I've heard of people going up to 5GB of data and still being ok, but just know you're putting your account in danger if you do that. A good way to not lose your number if your data use is a little high (as in the one you have right now) is to port it to Google Voice for $20, and then use the Voice app to send and receive texts from your current number. You can also make your phone make and receive calls to and from that number as well. So if they cancel your account for whatever reason, you make another one and change the forwarding number in the Google Voice settings. That's it.
You really can't beat $45 a month. Unless you're not a big talker, then I would recommend T-Mobile's $30 plan that includes 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 5GB of data @ 4G speeds (unlimited altogether, but you get throttled after). But then you'll be sacrificing coverage vs. AT&T's coverage.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. Straight to me sounds like a go.. My next question would be phone compatibility? I've been looking at several phones and i think either the DROID3, At&t skyrocket, Iphone4 or motorola atrix 2. Does any of these phones have to be unlocked.
Protip 1: Prepaid is the way to go. You can chop and change at any time then.
Protip 2: Always buy your phone outright. That gives you maximum flexibility. Unless it's a CDMA handset, then you'll need to be with a crowd that has CDMA network.
MrDavon24 said:
Thanks for the info. Straight to me sounds like a go.. My next question would be phone compatibility? I've been looking at several phones and i think either the DROID3, At&t skyrocket, Iphone4 or motorola atrix 2. Does any of these phones have to be unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as they're AT&T branded or unlocked they'll work (for the AT&T network). The DROID 3 will need to be unlocked and you'd also need to enable domestic GSM on it (I know it's a Verizon phone but not sure if it's global).
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium HD app
Product F(RED) said:
I went from Sprint to Straight Talk AT&T with a Galaxy S III (i9300). It depends;
1. Talk is Unlimited on Straight Talk
2. Text is Unlimited
3. Data is "Unlimited". There is no predetermined amount, but 2-3GB would be considered a safe amount. Anything over is grounds for getting your account terminated and requiring a new SIM and phone number.
.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tks for info :good:
For me a 2 year contract is better
here in my country it's more economic and you feel free to talk, text, data like whatsapp
Don't ever go with prepaid unless you are tough with cash !!
Hesham_3del said:
For me a 2 year contract is better
here in my country it's more economic and you feel free to talk, text, data like whatsapp
Don't ever go with prepaid unless you are tough with cash !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like you said, in your country it's better. Not here. Here it's crazy expensive to go with a contract.
Another for prepaid. You will definitely get more bang for your buck, if you are ok with coming out of pocket for a non-subsidized phone.
lowandbehold said:
Another for prepaid. You will definitely get more bang for your buck, if you are ok with coming out of pocket for a non-subsidized phone.
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Click to collapse
Which you would end up paying more for over a 2 year period with a contract.
I would provide to buy a phone when the contract is not so good. For example my contract:
monthly 27€ for phone and 5€ for the internet flat with 50sms/min
24x27=648
24x5=120
24x??? what i have more to pay
The easiest way would have been that i bought my phone for a price of <600€ on some portals and than a cheaper contract.
Let's do the math. On Sprint, 1 line with unlimited text and data (and however many minutes, I forget), is like $80 before tax. So let's say it's $90 after.
$90 * 24 = $2160
+ $200 for a phone (average price, not counting tax) = $2360.
Prepaid on Straight Talk (unlimited talk, text, and data*)
$45 a month, about $50 for me after taxes.
Let's say you spent $700 total for a Galaxy S III after taxes. This is the most expensive phone I can think of, so think of this as the lowest possible savings. You can get a cheaper phone like a One X or just bring your own AT&T/T-Mobile phone and not pay anything!
$50 * 24 = $1200
+ $700 = $1900.
$2360 - $1900 = $460 savings, and even more if you buy a cheaper phone or bring your own phone! And it's even BIGGER if you're coming from a more expensive plan. To be clear you're getting the SAME coverage and data speeds as AT&T or T-Mobile on Straight Talk.
Product F(RED) said:
Let's do the math. On Sprint, 1 line with unlimited text and data (and however many minutes, I forget), is like $80 before tax. So let's say it's $90 after.
$90 * 24 = $2160
+ $200 for a phone (average price, not counting tax) = $2360.
Prepaid on Straight Talk (unlimited talk, text, and data*)
$45 a month, about $50 for me after taxes.
Let's say you spent $700 total for a Galaxy S III after taxes. This is the most expensive phone I can think of, so think of this as the lowest possible savings. You can get a cheaper phone like a One X or just bring your own AT&T/T-Mobile phone and not pay anything!
$50 * 24 = $1200
+ $700 = $1900.
$2360 - $1900 = $460 savings, and even more if you buy a cheaper phone or bring your own phone! And it's even BIGGER if you're coming from a more expensive plan. To be clear you're getting the SAME coverage and data speeds as AT&T or T-Mobile on Straight Talk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the replies
depends on your service provider.
if this can handle growing subscribers with no problem on service then go for it..
but for me i'll go for prepaid,
in 2 years there will be a time that you will hate your phone not using it right...
$90 a month
That is alot. Buy a huawei and a top up card. Get a prepaid data bundle with the top up,get a prepaid text bundle with the topup,use the balance to call.
Edit: I think sprint calls them prepaid phonecards. I could be wrong.
Sent from my U8150 using XDA
Well, my sister ended up giving me her Iphone 3Gs. I will be using this for the time being until I can save up to get one of the other phones that was listed. After I get the BYOD sim. What else needs to be done. Would the MMS work properly?
MrDavon24 said:
Well, my sister ended up giving me her Iphone 3Gs. I will be using this for the time being until I can save up to get one of the other phones that was listed. After I get the BYOD sim. What else needs to be done. Would the MMS work properly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not without jailbreaking, I believe. However, you can go here on your iPhone: http://www.unlockit.co.nz and select US - Straight Talk and it should automatically set up your APN for you.
How do you get a att phone to work on straight talk anyways?
Sent from my Kindle Fire
Mark930 said:
How do you get a att phone to work on straight talk anyways?
Sent from my Kindle Fire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you choose the AT&T ST SIM, you just put the SIM in it and then fill in the APN info for data. That's it. There's no unlocking necessary because the phone thinks it's an AT&T SIM. When you fill in the APN info though, don't fill in the Proxy parts (except for MMS Proxy, that you'll need for MMS).
Product F(RED) said:
Assuming you choose the AT&T ST SIM, you just put the SIM in it and then fill in the APN info for data. That's it. There's no unlocking necessary because the phone thinks it's an AT&T SIM. When you fill in the APN info though, don't fill in the Proxy parts (except for MMS Proxy, that you'll need for MMS).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool is there a good website that shows you step by step I might try that out.
Sent from my Kindle Fire
Related
I have been a long time customer (more than 10 years) with Iowa Wireless. I LOVE the plan I have, and the rate I haven't been able to find a match to. I'm a big fan of GSM and how I can change phones at will, but alas, I am moving to an area of North Dakota that doesn't have any GSM data, and very poor GSM voice coverage.
I have to move to Verizon (or any other CDMA provider), so I have taken this as my chance to get a new Rhodium to upgrade from my Kaiser to. Yay me.
BUT...
I don't like it, but I have had some financial difficulty, and now must pay a heafty deposit to get 'normal' service from Verizon (which is over priced to begin with).
If I get the Verizon pre-pay unlimited plan *shudders*, can I add a TP2 from eBay by just providing the correct serial numbers?
What about other pre-pay CDMA providers? Wal-Mart's Straight Talk is the right plan at a reasonable price, but can I mount a CMDA TP2 to thier network?
If you have access to MetroPCS in your area, and are willing to jump through a few hoops in getting the device configured, you can use a TP2 there. I have a Sprint TP2 that I bought on eBay running on MPS without issue. Data speeds will take you back to 2003, but the $40 unlimited call/text/data plan is hard to beat.
goldenu said:
If you have access to MetroPCS in your area, and are willing to jump through a few hoops in getting the device configured, you can use a TP2 there. I have a Sprint TP2 that I bought on eBay running on MPS without issue. Data speeds will take you back to 2003, but the $40 unlimited call/text/data plan is hard to beat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I'll have to check them out. Is MetroPCS GSM, or CDMA based? Unfortunatly (in this case) the TP2 can run both GSM and CDMA... as for speeds, I'm used to a trunkated 20K, so anything is fine with me. *chuckles*
Thanks for the pointers!
Check out Page Plus it resells Verizon service thier data plans are crap 20megs and 50 megs and then prepaid $3 a meg (I think) lol but if you setup you phone right you can get allo the free data you can use. I had some issues but had it working pm me if you want details. thei unlimited plan talk and txt with 20megs of data is ~$40
Otherwise see if US Cellular is in the area still expensive for my plan but better than Verizon.
1000 anytime National plan, free nights and weekends starting at 7pm, free incoming calls txts and pics~$45
+txt plan 750 msgs ~$10
+data $24
+phone insurance ~$6
+taxes ~however much the government steals
gets my bill ~$100 per month
But I do pull about a 1megabit down and reasonable upload with 200ms to 250ms latency in my service area when tethered on my pc and I've only been in two places in all of america I did not get coverage so I like them allso the costumer service is the best I've ever had from ANY COMPANY HANDS DOWN.
If their was one company that deserves a hug in the whole world is US Cellular they are the best!
sorry for typos it's late I'm tired and lazy.
How do you get free unlimited data from Page Plus?
I am also curious as to whether or not you can tie an unlocked Touch Pro 2 to the Straight Talk network. Anybody have any ideas?
Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid Plan
I've got a Blackberry through work and use that to read my work mails and for calls. I was still using the HTC P3600 as my PDA/MP3 player/Navigation/snapshots/movies/games/etc. and was thinking it's time for an upgrade. The TP2 seemed to be a worthy successor... thank god - I was waiting long enough. Anyway, I was also looking for a plan that I could use every now and then without any monthly commitments and related high charges. So the Verizon basic pre-paid plan seemed ideal for my situation - it costs 99 cents per day you use it - while giving you unlimited data for that day. I'd get a $100 charge so they let me keep my number for 1 year and I'd get OTA data for every third day during that year. So much for the plan...
First attempt: Try to get the Vz TP2 with the basic pre-paid plan. FAILED ... although the pre-paid guys told me the phone would work with the plan, they wouldn't be able to sell it to me without a monthly plan. I could have gotten it for the month-to-month price and then cancelled the plan after the first month - but I didn't want to go that far.
So I bought the phone through eBay. Slight complication - but I am very happy with my new phone so far!
Second attempt: Get the Vz pre-paid plan setup to my new TP2 that I bought off eBay. FAILED althought initially I was informed the pre-paid plan would WORK with the TP2 - Verizon Wireless refuses to set it up with the TP2 (which they will recognize as soon as you give them your MEID). They told me "the pre-paid network is not able to handle the traffic generated by the TP2 phone" right, like there's a separate pre-paid network....
Third attempt: PENDING I want to get some low-cost CDMA phone, either off eBay or from Vz directly (~$40 dollars one-time costs) and set that up with the basic pre-paid plan. Then I'll just "repair"/clone that phone's ESN to my TP2 and theoretically will be able to use my TP2 finally with the Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid plan.
Anyone has any thoughts or - even better - real life experience? Will this work? Any ideas for a cheaper solution? I don't mind the workaround - it's fun so far...
Bizzled - THIS IS EXACTLY the kind of information I wanted to know! I'm reading this intently, I can't wait to hear how this went. I have a little bit of time before I have to change companies, I'd really like to do this...
I think I can get you a phone that is from VZ... used to be on the network, let me know if you need one, I'll go do the research on my end.
Page Plus is a prepaid service that uses the Verizon network. They will activate any unlocked CDMA phone (even phones from another carrier).
Most Verizon PDA phones work out of the box with no unlocking or anything needed.
See here:
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/
Sounds like exactly what you are looking for.
bizzled said:
I've got a Blackberry through work and use that to read my work mails and for calls. I was still using the HTC P3600 as my PDA/MP3 player/Navigation/snapshots/movies/games/etc. and was thinking it's time for an upgrade. The TP2 seemed to be a worthy successor... thank god - I was waiting long enough. Anyway, I was also looking for a plan that I could use every now and then without any monthly commitments and related high charges. So the Verizon basic pre-paid plan seemed ideal for my situation - it costs 99 cents per day you use it - while giving you unlimited data for that day. I'd get a $100 charge so they let me keep my number for 1 year and I'd get OTA data for every third day during that year. So much for the plan...
First attempt: Try to get the Vz TP2 with the basic pre-paid plan. FAILED ... although the pre-paid guys told me the phone would work with the plan, they wouldn't be able to sell it to me without a monthly plan. I could have gotten it for the month-to-month price and then cancelled the plan after the first month - but I didn't want to go that far.
So I bought the phone through eBay. Slight complication - but I am very happy with my new phone so far!
Second attempt: Get the Vz pre-paid plan setup to my new TP2 that I bought off eBay. FAILED althought initially I was informed the pre-paid plan would WORK with the TP2 - Verizon Wireless refuses to set it up with the TP2 (which they will recognize as soon as you give them your MEID). They told me "the pre-paid network is not able to handle the traffic generated by the TP2 phone" right, like there's a separate pre-paid network....
Third attempt: PENDING I want to get some low-cost CDMA phone, either off eBay or from Vz directly (~$40 dollars one-time costs) and set that up with the basic pre-paid plan. Then I'll just "repair"/clone that phone's ESN to my TP2 and theoretically will be able to use my TP2 finally with the Verizon Wireless Basic Pre-Paid plan.
Anyone has any thoughts or - even better - real life experience? Will this work? Any ideas for a cheaper solution? I don't mind the workaround - it's fun so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy a verizon branded TP2? Just curious, since I'm dealing with my own issue with verizon.
@cdmccul - I'll definitely share the results once I'm done. Got a Verizon Phone already for the cloning process... just need to figure the cloning out now. Thanks for the offer though!
@SaltyDawg - thanks for the hint. I won't go with PagePlus though since they charge you $1.20/MB for data and that's all I'm interested in for my future TP2 plan...
MadM3rlin said:
Did you buy a verizon branded TP2? Just curious, since I'm dealing with my own issue with verizon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did.
bizzled said:
@cdmccul - I'll definitely share the results once I'm done. Got a Verizon Phone already for the cloning process... just need to figure the cloning out now. Thanks for the offer though!
@SaltyDawg - thanks for the hint. I won't go with PagePlus though since they charge you $1.20/MB for data and that's all I'm interested in for my future TP2 plan...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$1.20 per MB? That's only if you take the standard plan.
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/Talk n Text 1200.aspx
That says you get 1200 minutes, 1200 text messages, and 50 MB of data for $29.99 per month (which is the same as the $1.00 per day that you were talking about on Verizon). And data is billed at .60 per MB if you go over the 50 MB.
I looked at PagePlus, but the web site wasn't working well for me, and it appears as though they won't get me a phone number near where I need one. Doesn't mean I won't try a different area code, but for now, if I can get Verizon to work, that would be 'better.
However, Verizon doesn't have any LOCAL numbers to exactly where I am. The closest town to where I am moving to is considered long distance to where I will be living.
cdmccul said:
I looked at PagePlus, but the web site wasn't working well for me, and it appears as though they won't get me a phone number near where I need one. Doesn't mean I won't try a different area code, but for now, if I can get Verizon to work, that would be 'better.
However, Verizon doesn't have any LOCAL numbers to exactly where I am. The closest town to where I am moving to is considered long distance to where I will be living.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just port your number in. Keep your existing number. If you don't have an existing number, buy a cheap prepaid phone and then port that number.
SaltyDawg said:
Just port your number in. Keep your existing number. If you don't have an existing number, buy a cheap prepaid phone and then port that number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to see if I can find any - the town I'm moving to isn't THAT small, but I haven't found any local cell numbers. I'll have to do more research, there's got to be somebody... That or I'll try to do something with the GoogleVoice thingy I read about a while ago.
Well if push comes to shove, you can port landline numbers too. So you could sign up for a landline from whoever the local phone company is, and then after a few days port it out to your cell phone.
I currently have Tmobiles $60 monthly 4G prepaid plan. I have been using an HTC G2 I bought off of craigslist. I just sold a Galaxy S and my G2 on ebay and have enough money to get an HTC Sensation 4G.
Will it be better to open a contract with Tmobile and get the phone for $100, or buy the phone off of ebay or the BST here for around $300. I do not know if there are any hidden fees or anything, and don't want to stray to far from $60 a month. What would you guys do? Im leaning towards buying the Sensation 4G off of ebay.
Extra: What phones are like the Sensation 4G and work with Tmobile 4G?
Screw the contracts. I'm on Simple and pay on $40 a month.
Pay cash for all of my phones.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Stay
Stay where you're at if you're happy with it - I pay about $180/month on contract with Verizon for just 2 phones....
I would stay on prepaid. My spouse was with US Cellular and the plan was supposed to be $79.99 a month for unlimited everything. It always came out to be about $140 with all the extra charges. Fees for this, fees for that. We're both on Simple Mobile now and pay $40 each... can't beat that!
if your on Prepaid Stay with it, one of the best things about T-mobile was the use of any phone on prepaid. Still kicking myself over going to a contract
Saito2185 said:
Still kicking myself over going to a contract
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Haha! Same...
pputhoo quoted
I vote for prepaid! No more unwanted bills, just pay and play each month
Especially if you get free extra bonus for extending your account balance with prepaid
Contract ends up cheaper in the long run.
I pay 29EUR a month. For me cheaper as prepaid... With prepaid i was at 60EUR or more a month... And i got a HTC Sensation XE but SGS 2 is better
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I vote prepaid. I was on their monthly plan and it felt good being able to go to Verizon without paying them anything.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app
Depends on where you use it for. Contracts in my country are obvious cheaper when you call alot, but if you only use mobile internet like me and almost never use up my montly call & sms limit then you might as well stay with prepaid, unless you can score a new phone without having pay high contract costs.
WiFi and voip are the combo I use, I just pay € 10 exclusive tax and then I call for 120 days free with a fup ofcourse and after those 120 days I just start using my credit and pay € 0,02 per min.
But my contract was with a free new phone on that moment worth about € 500 so that;s reason I have a contract with mobile internet, because it just cost me about € 4 each month, so I don't mind that I don't call so much.
But next time I will just stick with WiFi and use no sim card or prepaid as I think in my country the contracts are not cheap any more.
Yeah
I definitely think you should stay with what you have if your happy with it. I'm paying about $155/month on Sprint for 2 phones.
Verizon does offer prepaid for smartphones too, you just need to bring your own device. But, it's gonna run you $80.
Now, you can stay on Tmobile prepaid and use any GSM phone that's locked to Tmobile, or unlocked for any GSM provider(Granted that the phone has the right bands to support Tmobiles HSPA+ connection for full data speeds), but like any prepaid service you're gonna get the bottom of the barrel service. You do pay more with contracts 9/10, but you get so much better service and support. Sprint is going to be the cheapest and most flexible contract service at about $75-$85 after taxes with the starting 450 data plan(unlimited mobile talk, text, and data, 450 land line minutes nights and weekends start at 7), and phone selection isn't too bad either. Now you will be limited on 4g, since Sprint's Wimax service is next to nothing. If you don't have credit, you're looking at $50-$100 for a deposit.
AT&T is known to be the more expensive one out of the 3 carriers, but AT&T is actually just as much as Verizon would be. If you have no credit, you're looking at maybe $200-$400 for a deposit. For $90 a month, you get 450 land line minutes plus any minutes you don't use roll over to the next month, 5000 night and weekend minutes with rollover, unlimited texting, and 3gb of data. For service, it's hit or miss. AT&T will claim they have service in one area, but how AT&T does it is if they can even pull a single bar of service and connect to their towers, it counts as having service. Their LTE network isn't so big right now, but it's growing. Device selection is actually pretty decent right now, about the same as Sprint with the SII, the GS, a dual core Motorola device, a single core HTC phone, a dual core HTC phone, and the Iphones.
Verizon hands down has had the best service, and if you don't have credit maybe $125-$200 for a deposit. Verizon does have the biggest LTE network, and has a deal right now where you can get 4gb for the price of 2gb until the 31st of March on any LTE phone(but it has to be an LTE phone). Their plans are kind of limited though, $90 for 450 minutes, unlimited texts, and assuming you're going for an LTE phone 4gb of data. You only get unlimited to verizon phones, and nights and weekends start off at 9pm instead of 7 like Sprint. You can go up to 900 minutes for $20 more and get 10 numbers to get free minutes to however. Device selection is pretty decent for Verizon, but expensive. The cheapest LTE device Verizon pretty much has that's worth anything is the Stratosphere, but there's hardly any development for it. I love the service I get with Verizon, they're the only company in the Toledo area that has any type of 4g service, but the only reason I have Verizon now is because of the dealer plan Verizon offers to Radioshack employees.
If you're looking for your first contract phone, I wouldn't recommend Tmobile right now, but after they get the spectrum they got from AT&T setup then I would probably consider them, but easily for first contract go Sprint. Flexible, requires almost nothing to be approved, and decent service for Sprint. EVO 3d right now through Radioshack is $50 as well as the Photon, which would be the 2 most cost effective phones on Sprint right now.
vbetts said:
You do pay more with contracts 9/10, but you get so much better service and support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If by "service" you mean connection, are there any stats for this? I'm about to switch to their $30 prepaid, and would love to know if there's a catch.
i pay about $100.00 a month with AT&T and i don't have unlimited data. i'm about thinking about switching to prepaid as well when my contract ends.
thebobp said:
If by "service" you mean connection, are there any stats for this? I'm about to switch to their $30 prepaid, and would love to know if there's a catch.
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Click to collapse
Most prepaid services are only going to have access to certain towers, meaning you couldn't use a Boost mobile phone that uses Sprint towers and roam off of Verizon or Clearwire, or any CDMA towers.
vbetts said:
Most prepaid services are only going to have access to certain towers, meaning you couldn't use a Boost mobile phone that uses Sprint towers and roam off of Verizon or Clearwire, or any CDMA towers.
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Click to collapse
Is this a limitation for GSM-only phones (like mine)?
Edit: or is there any other limitation that you know of?
^ no he's referring to CDMA. Death to contracts.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Yeah... I regret going into a contract.. Paying around $100 a month just for 1 line and its not even unlimited data.
Luckily its up in July and I can hopefully go prepaid
So I call AT&T before ordering on amazon, and the rep tells me that I'll be able to call back and switch my data plan to the "5GB Unlimited." I inquire as to how the plan works, she says that if I go over 5GB, I get charged, because it is not unlimited. But then she confirmed that I'll be keeping the grandfathered data plan.
Is this consistent with what other people are getting? Just want to make sure I'm not screwing myself over. Thanks!
It is not called 5GB unlimited. It is LTE unlimited and you will never be charged for overage. What happens is you will be throttled (300k to 500k speed) when you use over 5GB.
You will have to call AT&T to switch back to your unlimited plan after you received your phone from Amazon.
You will probably want to follow up with AT&T after you get your phone to make sure you are actually keeping your grandfathered unlimited plan and that you have not actually been switched over to the 5GB plan.
I had to convince the at&t rep when ordering over the phone that I should have unlimited grandfathered plan.
It is always worth checking to make sure they didn't take it away from you.
While on the phone and on web chat, I asked this specifically with radioshack rep several times that i want to keep my grandfathered unlimited data and they say yes it will be possible. I told them why on my receipt it shows mt dataplan got switched to the 5gb+tether for $50, they said this is only for initial processing, but after approval, everything will go back to the way it was. I made sure to get them to confirm this before I purchased and after i purchased haha.
We will see if this is still the case when I finally get my phone. If not, sucks I might have to cancel and return the phone. unlimited data is pretty valuable especially when you get to go all the way up to 5GB before being throttled in LTE.
When I placed my pre-order through AT&T, I specifically had the option to add the "LTE Unlimited Personal" data package. I was pretty tempted by RadioShack offering it at $50. But given all I read about them farqing things up for pretty much everybody they sell things to, I paid the whole $200 through AT&T. I am willing to pay extra to make sure nobody screws up my unlimited data plan. But that's just me.
I kept my smartphone unlimited plan. AT&T had no problem letting me keep my plan
Keeping my unlimited data plan is the sole reason I always upgrade through ATT. Sure the Radio Shack and Amazon prices are always lower but I never fully trust that ATT will put unlimited data back after I get the phone...
snvyas said:
Keeping my unlimited data plan is the sole reason I always upgrade through ATT. Sure the Radio Shack and Amazon prices are always lower but I never fully trust that ATT will put unlimited data back after I get the phone...
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Agreed. Spending more in the store is worth it to me rather than running the chance of losing the unlimited data plan.
SR4 said:
Agreed. Spending more in the store is worth it to me rather than running the chance of losing the unlimited data plan.
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Even if somehow they screw your data plan up. You can always get your unlimited data plan back. As long as you can:
-Prove that you've had it
-Say that it was changed without your knowledge / consent.
I cannot add them back in the store. You will have to call 611 to get it added back to your account if it was messed up by some other retailer. It's always worth checking your account online to make sure. Or dial *3282#. That will tell you what data plan you currently have.
The type of data connection doesn't matter either. If you are just now moving to your first LTE device, the amount of data you are allowed to transfer before the throttle increases to 5gb from 3gb. The cost is the same and it is still unlimited. Meaning no overage costs.
If you have any specific questions or if customer service gives you any trouble. Please message me and I can help resolve it.
My contract just ended and I have the $30 unlimited data grandfathered. I've always been able to keep it when upgrading by speaking to customer service. But this time I don't want to upgrade for another 2yr contract. I've been a customer forever and would like to have the freedom of no contract for a little bit. I'm currently using a 3g samsung captivate but want to get the s3. I found a really good deal on craigslist. Will at&t let me keep unlimited data without upgrading? I'm just worried that they tell me yes when I call, then after I buy the phone they say no you gotta upgrade. That would suck..
Just swap the sim card into the new phone.
Sent from my One X using xda premium
hugebulge said:
Just swap the sim card into the new phone.
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I believe the GS3 is a MicroSIM, and the Captivate is a "regular" SIM. So the person can get a MicroSIM from AT&T. If you call for one, I think they charge you $15. But in store, they will often give it to you for free to AT&T account holders.
You can also cut the SIM to make it work, using guides online. But its probably easier to just get a free new one from the store.
jsmizzle said:
My contract just ended and I have the $30 unlimited data grandfathered. I've always been able to keep it when upgrading by speaking to customer service. But this time I don't want to upgrade for another 2yr contract. I've been a customer forever and would like to have the freedom of no contract for a little bit. I'm currently using a 3g samsung captivate but want to get the s3. I found a really good deal on craigslist. Will at&t let me keep unlimited data without upgrading? I'm just worried that they tell me yes when I call, then after I buy the phone they say no you gotta upgrade. That would suck..
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Dont' worry, they can't make you upgrade, you can use whatever hardware you want (as long as its compatible with their network).
If you don't presently have LTE on your account, and the phone you are buying is compatible with AT&T's LTE bands, you can get it added to your account w/o an upgrade and w/o a new contract. But you have to go through AT&T to do it (either by phone or in an AT&T store). Simply tell them you want to keep unlimited data, and add LTE. They technically have to change you to a "new" data plan that is unlimited data with LTE, but its really just the same - unlimited data, but with LTE capability added and no extra fee (its just what they do to make it work in their system). Just make sure they do it right before you leave the store or hangup the phone. Its not completely straightforward, it took them about 15 minutes to get it right for me at my AT&T store, and the rep had to bring the manager into it, and they were really trying. But its worth the hassle, since if they screw it up and take unlimited data off your account, its a real pain to add it back.
And this is the only way to add LTE to your account, if the S3 you are buying has LTE.
Thanks guys for the replies. Apparently, the LTE microSIM is different from the 3g microSIM. Even though they're the same size the coding is different. So i'm gonna need to visit the store to get the LTE card. AT&T customer service did tell me that my unlimited data won't change and I won't need to upgrade. So that's cool.. Now it's about choosing which phone to get. I'm still thinking the S3 but I just looked at the demo models at best buy. Damn this is hard. The one x is a beauty and even the atrix hd looks great too. I might just wait until the iphone 5 release on the 12th so all the other phone prices will drop. But that's a whole different thread..
My two year contract will be up in awhile (ok... 6 months... I’m getting started early).
We have 5 Infuses on an AT&T contract, with unlimited talk/text + 200MB data/mo for total $220/mo.
I'm looking to keep the costs low.
The Infuses are doing great, I’m thinking we’ll hold on to them as long as they keep working.
I’m wondering if others in similar situation have identified good options.
I am leaning towards monthly options... not wanting to get locked down in antoher contract.
Has anyone found a good reasonable plan (preferably monthly) for their Infuse after their 24 month sentence expired?
Tmobile has a great prepaid plan: $30 for 100 minutes, unlimited text, 5GB data.
We can work with the 100 minutes.... we actually don't talk a lot.. we can keep the minutes down by using Google Voice for some of the calls ... keep a prepaid balance which allows extra minutes at the reasonable rate of 10 cents per minute. But Infuse doesn’t have that 1700Mhz band by Tmobile, which means we might be stuck on “Edge” data speeds at least until Tmobile “refarms” with the 1900Mhz. Anyone switched to Tmobile?
Straight Talk no longer provides AT&T SIM cards... some weird leverage that AT&T used on them. Anyone got around this ?
A friend of mine is in a similar situation. He mentioned Cellular One has simm chip compatible with ATT and they were cheap.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
electricpete1 said:
Straight Talk no longer provides AT&T SIM cards... some weird leverage that AT&T used on them. Anyone got around this ?
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I had no idea straight talk no longer did ATT sim cards. that is what I am using, and was going to suggest. They do offer tmobile cards though. $50 month unlimited everything.
Alright, so currently I have an S3 with T-Mobile and I'm paying around $100 for just my line that includes 500mins, unlimited data and text.
I rarely break the 150min mark each month so I would definitely like to change my plan to something that offers less minutes. Makes no sense on paying for something I don't use, right.
What would be my best option right now? Go on a prepaid plan and buy the Nexus 5 from the playstore? Is there a hassle from switching to a normal plan to a prepaid plan with T-Mobile?
I would be more than happy paying less to get 200mins, unlimited text, and data. 2.5 or 5gb before throttling is fine with me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
The T-Mobile $30 plan.. 100 minutes, unlimited texts, 5GB of 4G LTE.
Just add like $50 every month and you'll have around , what.. 275-300 minutes you can use.
But if you're still on contract with T-Mobile, the ETF is $200.
And yes, you can buy the phone from the Play Store.
Wow that's crazy expensive. My T-Mobile plan is $120/month for 3 lines, unlimited everything. Data IS throttled after 500mb though. Not an issue for me since I'm always on wifi. I can bump it to unlimited for an extra $20
IXChicharitoXI said:
Alright, so currently I have an S3 with T-Mobile and I'm paying around $100 for just my line that includes 500mins, unlimited data and text.
I rarely break the 150min mark each month so I would definitely like to change my plan to something that offers less minutes. Makes no sense on paying for something I don't use, right.
What would be my best option right now? Go on a prepaid plan and buy the Nexus 5 from the playstore? Is there a hassle from switching to a normal plan to a prepaid plan with T-Mobile?
I would be more than happy paying less to get 200mins, unlimited text, and data. 2.5 or 5gb before throttling is fine with me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Not sure how you're paying so much for the classic 500min plan, maybe you got extra services along with it? Should only be $85/w tax. And if you said you don't use as much minutes then go with the prepaid $30/mo like that person said. Or you can go with straight talk for $45/mo unlimited talk text and web (might throttle 2.5gb). I'm not sure if they are still selling GSM sim cards because they kept being pulled off the shelves.
Synyster06Gates said:
Wow that's crazy expensive. My T-Mobile plan is $120/month for 3 lines, unlimited everything. Data IS throttled after 500mb though. Not an issue for me since I'm always on wifi. I can bump it to unlimited for an extra $20
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Well you're on the new simple/value plans that T-mobile has. 3 lines should cost you $90 ($50 first line $30 second $10 add a line) for unlimited talk text and unlimited web throttled at 500mb. You might be over paying as well unless you have the 2.5gb data plan or the jump plan services.
Deekayy said:
Well you're on the new simple/value plans that T-mobile has. 3 lines should cost you $90 ($50 first line $30 second $10 add a line) for unlimited talk text and unlimited web throttled at 500mb. You might be over paying as well unless you have the 2.5gb data plan or the jump plan services.
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Unfortunately I am over paying by $30. I didn't get the simple value plan. I switched from AT&T right before they ended the classic unlimited contracts. What really sucks is the T-Mobile service went to **** in my area a few days after my "2 week trial period" (that was really maybe a week after getting the phones shipped and activated) and they refuse to help me out in any way. It's a story for another time, but I'm absolutely furious at T-Mobile.
I got the Ptel Paygo plan (on T-Mobile network), I don't really need data (on wifi almost everywhere, with T-Mobile 4G hotspot at $17.50/mo for 1.75gb). 5 cents per minute. Bought a $100 card with coupon for $78, so 2000 minutes for a year. Haven't got my sim yet, will run speed test once I get it.
Deekayy said:
Not sure how you're paying so much for the classic 500min plan, maybe you got extra services along with it? Should only be $85/w tax. And if you said you don't use as much minutes then go with the prepaid $30/mo like that person said. Or you can go with straight talk for $45/mo unlimited talk text and web (might throttle 2.5gb). I'm not sure if they are still selling GSM sim cards because they kept being pulled off the shelves.
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Yeah, I think I'm being charged $8 or $10 for insurance on the phone.
How exactly do pre paid plans work? I assume the bill won't arrive to my house anymore? Do I have to to to the T-Mobile store before the month ends to pay for the following month before it gets disconnected?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Also if I were to sign up for the pre paid plan. Could I bring the phone to a T-Mobile store and could they activate the new sim at the store or do I have to do it myself online?
Thank you for the responses everyone, i really appreciate it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Synyster06Gates said:
Unfortunately I am over paying by $30. I didn't get the simple value plan. I switched from AT&T right before they ended the classic unlimited contracts. What really sucks is the T-Mobile service went to **** in my area a few days after my "2 week trial period" (that was really maybe a week after getting the phones shipped and activated) and they refuse to help me out in any way. It's a story for another time, but I'm absolutely furious at T-Mobile.
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That's unfortunate, sorry to hear. So you're on a 2-year contract then I suppose? Did you get basic phones or smart phones when you signed up? If anything you can always try to call customer service (Dial 611) and ask to be switched to the new simple choice plan but they might charge you a $200 migration fee per line. In that situation, you can probably argue that your service has not been working well ever since you got it and hopefully they'll work something out.
IXChicharitoXI said:
Yeah, I think I'm being charged $8 or $10 for insurance on the phone.
How exactly do pre paid plans work? I assume the bill won't arrive to my house anymore? Do I have to to to the T-Mobile store before the month ends to pay for the following month before it gets disconnected?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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The only service that does that still bills to your house is T-Mobile Family Mobile (only in walmart) $39.88/mo unlimited talk text unlimited web 2.5 throttle (3G, some say 4G). That service is no contract and you can set auto pay with your debit/credit card or pay at any walmart location.
Other T-mobile pre-paid services is the "monthly 4G" which you will need to purchase a pre-paid card at any convenience store and refill your service at the end of each month. Or you can pay the balance of the bill online through T-Mobile prepaid website. If you don't pay your remaining balance by the end of the month it will get shut off and I believe T-Mobile will hold for 7-14 days before they release the number.
I can't give you a suggestion on which service you should use because I use both Verizon and T-Mobile services (note 2 and nexus 5) on a dealer line. Believe it or not, T-Mobile pulls off 21mb vs verizon 12mb in my home. If anything i'd start with the $30 pre-paid plan and test out the service to see whether or not it works in your area. If you feel that you get a lot of drop calls, you can try the actual T-Mobile service (Simple choice plan) because it's running on a primary network. Don't want to get too technical on why contracts vs pre-paid services are good or bad.
Replying to your second question:
You can purchase a Sim starter kit on the actual T-mobile site and you can activate it yourself, very easy. Follow the steps and select the plan that you desire.
t-mobile (dot) com/shop/plans/activatecodes (dot )aspx
Deekayy said:
That's unfortunate, sorry to hear. So you're on a 2-year contract then I suppose? Did you get basic phones or smart phones when you signed up? If anything you can always try to call customer service (Dial 611) and ask to be switched to the new simple choice plan but they might charge you a $200 migration fee per line. In that situation, you can probably argue that your service has not been working well ever since you got it and hopefully they'll work something out.
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I will attempt to do this over the weekend. I am on a 2 year contract. When we signed up, I got a Galaxy S3, an LG F3, and an LG F6.
Since we started, none of the phones will reliably get phone calls or text messages. More often than not when people try to call us (even the T-Mobile reps calling me back) the phone will ring on their end, but I never get a ring or even missed call notification. A voice-mail will randomly pop up later in the day. Text messages will stop for hours on end then all of a sudden 10 or so will come to my phone at once. MMS won't reliably send or download. It's been a FRUSTRATING experience to say the least.